Summer's battle-ready, brainy blockbusters

God of War II
As a sequel, God of War II brings the same thrills that made its predecessor famous, without being too derivative. Taking inspiration from–and some liberties with–Greek mythology, the story again follows the Spartan warrior Kratos, who finds himself without the godly powers he won from Ares in the first game; he's still a pawn of the gods, it seems. Led by Gaia, and with the help of the vengeful Titans, as Kratos you fight for an audience with the Fates so that you can turn back time and prevent Zeus from betraying you. Along the way you encounter other figures from Greek mythology, such as Jason (you take the Golden Fleece from his corpse), Perseus (you thrash him and take his shield), and Icarus (you rip his wings from his back). The sequel developers at Sony Computer Entertainment should have thought twice before introducing a slow-time mechanic, though. While being able to move faster than your enemies is fun and handy, the feature invites comparisons to the Prince of Persia games. But the sweeping vistas of this game prove that the graphical capabilities of the PS2 are just fine, thank you, so don't give it up yet. Set aside some time to smash minotaur skulls and slice the head off a Gorgon or two. Kratos is waiting. Rated mature.

Crackdown
Based on the philosophy of open-world, open-ended–plot game development, Crackdown, from Microsoft Game Studios for the X360, is fast, responsive, and adrenaline-fuelled. Set in what could be our near future, you take on the persona of a genetically enhanced law-enforcement officer tasked with ridding the streets of a vast organized-crime network. The story is truly open-ended, too, so while your supervisor advises you which gangster to take on next, you can go after the big boss any time you want. Take on lower-ranking members first to upgrade your character, though; such a decision would be tantamount to suicide. Crackdown is a fun, visceral experience, one that's generous with your character's ability to take a beating and keep on fighting. If there is a shudder to be had, it's that the story line essentially advocates a police state. Rated mature.

WarioWare: Smooth Moves
This game, from Nintendo for its Wii console, is made up of hundreds of mini games so short they're called microgames. Most are just a few seconds long, and test your powers of reasoning as much as anything else. For example, how quickly can you figure out what is required given a one-word instruction such as "broil"? The most interesting dimension of Smooth Moves, though, is seeing how many different ways the developers thought to use the Wii remote. The answer is 19, including orientations called the Umbrella, the Sketch Artist, and the Handlebar. As you get better, the game gets faster. Rated everyone 10+.

TMNT
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles make their debut on the Wii in this action game from Ubisoft. Although the game is hampered by some issues with the camera (it sometimes doesn't show you enough of the environment) and the control (the Nunchuk joystick is not as responsive as I'd like), overall this is an enjoyable title for all ages. You get to play as all four turtles as they tell their sensei, Splinter, about the difficulties they faced when they were reunited after living apart for a time. Each of the four has a unique fighting style, and when more than one turtle is part of the action you can execute cool TMNT combo moves. Too bad this is a single-player game–being able to play with a friend would have been a great feature. Rated everyone 10+.

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
Lost Planet, for the X360, takes place on an ice planet in some outer solar system, and the frozen wasteland proves to be a great setting for an aggressive shooter. You are fighting a colony of bugs called the Akrid that can survive in the cold because of their ability to generate thermal energy. You'll need that energy to keep yourself alive as you move through the landscape, searching for the massive Akrid that killed your father. Unfortunately, although the developers at Capcom created great environments–making a brilliant setting for on-line multiplayer mayhem–the single-player game is less than exciting. The combat becomes boring and the story line is incomprehensible, which makes Lost Planet fun for a while but unable to make you believe you are on the verge of hypothermia. Rated teen.